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DOD stumbled upon this way of making rice pilaf many years ago while
watching a TV, Oriental cooking show, of all things. Now we use this method
to make rice dishes of all sorts.
The instructions are a little wordy, but after you read them
once, you should have a really good understanding of the ease and the many
potential variations.
New Italian Recipes Presents:
Italian Rice Pilaf
Heat 1 T olive oil. (You could also use one of those really
neat flavored oils, or mix one up of your own) in a non stick sauce pan.
When warm, add 1-2 minced shallots or onions and sauté
briefly. At this point you can add a flavor enhancer if you want. I've added
minced ginger to rice pilaf at this stage, celery, roasted red bell peppers, herbs, and
probably a few other things.
Add another T of oil and add rice, whatever measurement you
came up with, half a cup, whole cup, whatever. Stir the rice around until
the grains are coated with oil (do not brown the rice), about 1 minute.
At this stage, you have another chance to enhance. You could
add a little white wine, a little orange, pineapple, or some other kind of
juice. How about a touch of really good quality Balsamic Vinegar? (It
actually sweetens a dish! (I add this touch to soups, pastas, and a lot of
other things from time to time. This is truly a gourmet touch.)
Aside: Stick with DOD, he reads a lot of cook books,
magazines and watches a lot of TV cooking shows. And, he will pass on the
more interesting "touches" he finds to his loyal web visitors and
Newsletter Subscribers.
Darn, I really got off track there. Okay, so we've added
everything we are going to add before finishing the rice pilaf. Well, maybe not
quite. Anyway, before you add any liquid, let most of what you've already
added be absorbed by the rice.
Okay, now to the final step. We are going to add the rest of
the required liquid now. At a mile high (that's the elevation where we live)
we are going to need to add about 2 parts liquid to whatever rice
measurement we used. It could be slightly more or less, depending on where
you live. The rice is already tenderized, and the rest of the cooking is
going to soften it further. What I am saying is, from this point forward,
about the only way you could screw this up is to burn it. Don't do that!
Okay, for the measurement: 1 cup rice, 2 cups liquid. No, I
don't think you are a lousy or uninformed cook, but we did, probably, add
some liquid to the rice pilaf before, remember? Fageddaboudit, okay, don't matta. The exact
amount of liquid is not critical when you use this method.
Now, two parts liquid to one part rice, approximately. DOD
has been known to use just plain old water for this liquid addition, but he
usually adds at least half of the aforementioned liquid as stock (usually
chicken). I really like that new "free range" stuff. Have you seen it? It
comes in a cartoon instead of a can. Health Valley, I think, something like
that.
Or, you could use beef stock, vegetable or whatever. I even
have some
homemade chicken stock around sometimes, but remember, homemade only has
as much salt as you originally added to it. Purchased stock is usually
outrageously salty, so homemade will add a very different taste (and a much
richer, velvety one).
Okay, I usually either add all stock, or one cup of stock
and one of water, whatever. It's really good rice either way. When this
newly added stock comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.
Take it off the heat when 98% of the water is absorbed.
Okay, there is an exact measurement for you!
Leave the lid on and the rest of the liquid should be
absorbed before it is time to serve it. Sorry for the long-winded recipe,
but I had fun, hope you did.
For those of you who stuck with me through all that
diatribe, here is a condensed version:
One cup uncooked rice (try Jasmine or Basmati once in a
while, even Arborio, the type of rice used for
risottos . (DOD does about fifty different kinds of risotto. He'll pass
a lot of those on at some point, promise). As a matter of fact, this cooking
method is similar to that used for most risottos.
2 Cups liquid (try one half stock and one half water the
first time and go from there)
2-3 T. minced shallots or onions. Add another vegetable or
two, maybe even or fruit, raisins maybe? Never tried raisins, but it's a
thought! Be creative.
1 + 1 T olive oil (extra virgin, preferred, of course) or
other flavored oil.
Pineapple, orange or other sweet juice, if desired for
flavor. White wine, if you like that.
In a non-stick sauté pan, heat oil briefly.
Add onions and "sweat" for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
Add another T of oil and add the rice.
Stir until rice is just coated.
At this time, add any juice or wine that you like, only a T
or two, maybe three. Let the rice absorb, about 2 minutes.
Add the rest of the liquid, bring to a boil, then cover and
reduce heat to low.
Simmer about 15, until there is no liquid visible. Remove
from heat and leave covered until time to serve.
It does take some wordy effort to describe the versatility
of this method. I appreciate your sticking with me through it all. You’re
the best and we appreciate your sharing your valuable time so much, we are
going to work even harder in bringing you the best recipes we can come up
with, and advance ever useful thing we learn through our exhaustive research
into the fine art of Italian cooking.
Now that you’ve made your first really “interesting” rice
pilaf, reward yourself with a nice glass of vino, if you are of that
persuasion. If you enjoy “exploring” the exciting world of wine, consider
joining the
American Cellars Wine Club . We’ve been members for years, and enjoy
receiving wines from smaller, more obscure wines that have been ferreted out
by their tasting experts. Visit their site here to find out what they offer.
Buon appetito always!
Brought to you with love from
Aunt Aletha and Dear Old Dave
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